Control apparatus



July 311, 1928. 1,678,857

A. J. HALL ET AL CONTROL APPARATUS 1 Original Filed July 15, 1919 ATTORNEY l Patented July 31, 1928.

iJNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR JOHN HALL, OF GLOUCESTERSHIBE, ENGLAND, AND PAUL L. MARDIS, OF

SWIS$VAL.E, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS 'IO IVESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL APPARATUS.

Original application filed July 15, 1919, Serial No. 311,025.

Divided and this application filed July 1,

1924. Serial No. 723,599.

Our invention relates to control apparatus for governing electric railway motors and the like and has special relation to master controllers of the drum type.

Another object of our invention is to provide a novel type of operating handle for effecting an additional form of interlocking.

Other objects of our invention will become evident from the following detailed. description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. l is a top plan View of a control handle, constructed in accordance with this invention,

' Fig. 2 is a View in section of the handle shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a to plan View of a control showing the hand e disposed in position for actuating a control drum, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views of the handle illustrated in Fig. 1, showing features of the construction.

Referring to the drawings the drum handle 8 (see Figs. 1 and 2) comprises a body casting 79 and a thumb-lever 80 which is pivotally mounted at 81 upon suitable projections or lugs on the casting 79. In the normal solid-line position of the thumblever 80, an internal lug 82 engages the head 83 of a relatively long bolt 84, of small.

diameter, which pierces the internal lug 82. A helical spring 85 surrounds one port-ion of the bolt 84 and is adapted to act between an internal web 86 of the body casting-79 and a slidable member or latch 87. A guide-plate 88 is secured between the side walls of the body casting 79 by means of suitable screws 88a, for example, for the purpose of permitting the latch 87 to freely reciprocate in accordance with the movements of the thumb-lever 80.

A push-button 90 is inserted in the free end of the body casting 79 and is bolted to a bent strap member 91 which extends within the body casting 79 substantially parallel to one wall thereof. A helical spring 92 normally biases the push-button 90 and the strap 91 to the illustrated outer position. The strap 91 is adapted, upon the operation of the push-button 90, to slide along a shallow groove 93, which is out in the lower wall of a transverse slot or recess 94. This recess is open at the top and one side of the body casting'79. The purpose of the slot 94 may be set forth as follows: A curved guide-strip 95 (see Fig. 3), of a familiar character having a plurality of notches corresponding to various operating positions of the speed drum 4, is located just above the intermediate portion of the body casting 79 corresponding to the transverse slot 94, and a lug 96 is secured to the under side of the guide-strip 95, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The operation of the speed drum handle 8 may be described as follows: For normal forward movement from the illustrated notch 97 in the guide-plate 95, corresponding to oil position'of the speed drum, the thumb-lever 80 is employed, whilethe pushbutton 90 is not manipulated in any way. By pressing the thumb-lever 80 to enclose the corresponding portion of the body casting 79, as indicated by the proper dotted lines in Fig.4, the bolt 84 is actuated by the internal lug 82 toward the right, from the illustrated position, to effect correspond ing sliding movement of the latch 87 and compression of the associated spring 85. In this way, the latch 87 is withdrawn from the notch 97 in the guide-strip 95 to permit forward movementof the speed drum handle 8 to any desired notch 95a. It will be understood that the speed drum handle 8 may be operated from notch to notch or allowed to remain in a position corresponding to any running position of the drum by suitable release and pressure of the thumb-lever 80.

The push-button 90 is employed during the return movement of the speed drum handle 8 to prevent movement thereof beyond a predetermined notch, in this case, notch 98, without requiring any further attention or thought upon the part of the train operator. In actual practice, this return movement ofth-e speed drum handle is employed for effecting transition of the governed motors and it is, therefore, extremely desirable to prevent open-circuiting the motors and thus temporarily losing the driving torque, as would occur if the speed drum handle 8 were allowed to return to the off position. However, by merely depressing the push button 90, as the handle 8 is grasped to effect return movement of the handle, the barn dle may be moved backwardly by pressure upon the thumb-lever 80, as previously described. By reason of the depression of the push-button 90, the strap member 91 is actuated to occupy the inner or left-hand end of the groove 93 and thus bar the opening to the slot 94 in the upper portion of the body casting 79. Consequently, as soon as the speed handle 8 reaches a position corresponding to the first operating notch 98, the lug 96 on the lower side of the guide-strip 95 is struck by the strap 91 and the handle 8 is thus prevented from moving beyond the notch in question so long as pressure is maintained upon the push-button 90. In this way, a quick return movement with a stop at the proper position may be made without requiring any attention on the part of the train operator other than initially depressing the push-button 90.

Although the illustrated position and proportion of parts are such that the backward movement of the operating handle 8 is stopped in the first operative position, cor responding to notch 98, it will be understood that the structure in question may readily be adapted to arrest backward or forward movement at any desired position. For eX- ample, by cutting the slot 94 entirely across the top face of the body casting 79, a lug; corresponding to 96 might then be secured atv any predetermined point beneath the guide-strip 95. The slot 9st would permit the lug 96 to freely slide through during forward movement,'for example, of the Op- 7 erating handle; but upon depression of the push-botton 90, and consequent blocking of the slot 94 by the strap 91, backward move ment would be arrested at the desired point, corresponding to the engagement of the stra 91 with the lug 96. V

l/ e do not wish to be restricted to the specific structural details or arrangement of parts herein set forth as various modifications thereof may be made without depart-V ing from the spirit andscope of our invention. We desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

lVe claim as our invention:

1. In a controller, the combination with a handle memberhaving a transverse slot, of a stationary member normally adapted to freely slide in said slot, and means for barring access to said slot at will.

2. In a controller, the combination with a handle member having a transverse slot, of a stationary member normally adapted to freely slide in said slot, and means responsive to predetermined movements of the operator for barring access to said slot to prevent normal controller movement.

3. In a controller, the combination with a stationary member, of a handle member having a transverse slot normally adapted to freely slide around said stationary member, and normally retracted means in the handle member for closing one end of said slot at will to arrest movement of said handle member. j

4. In a controller, the combination with a stationary stop member, of a handle member having a transverse slot normally adapt ed to freelv slide around said stop member, bar slidable longitudinally of said handle for closing one end of said slot, and a spring for normally maintaining said bar in inoperative position. v

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this eighth da of April, 1924, and this 2nd day of June, 1924,

respectively.

ARTHUR JOHN I-IALL. PAUL L. MARDIS. 

